Chapter 83

Rachel POV

Moonglow Pack Territory

Beta Carson joined me in the backseat of the rental car which I thought a strange choice. I dismissed my concern over his motivation as I realized he would have had to ride with Art breathing on the back of his neck if he'd taken the passenger seat up front.

After his blunt force assault method of greeting the locals, I realized I wouldn't want Art breathing down my neck in a confined space either.

I wondered if the Alpha Council taught their Inspectors to be confrontational as a method of gaining the truth faster or if Art was simply his own beast. I didn't know how to ask him without being offensive or embarrassing myself by appearing too interested in him.

On the list of things I didn't need was another Alpha trying to win my favor or believing I was trying to give them advances myself.

Trying to ignore how firmly Beta Carson was pressed against me on the bench seat of the car, I focused my attention on the territory outside my window.

Moonglow Pack reminded me of summer camps in old movies or settlements from olden times. No power lines or poles interrupted the flow of cabins or dotted the landscape. I could count the number of automobiles visible without running out of fingers. People and wolves alike traveled in pairs of two or groups of three or more; I didn't see even one example of a solo resident.

"Is everyone close here?"

Beta Carson looked at me with a confused expression, "What do you mean? We have the largest territory on this coast."

I knew Moonglow Pack occupied a huge stretch of national forest. I wasn't talking about the sprawling territory though: I was interested in the residents rather than their residence.

"Sorry, I meant to ask if your pack is something like a giant family. How many members does Moonglow have?"

"All packs are giant families," Carson said with a somewhat lopsided smile, "Ours is several hundred strong. We have everyone living here if they're in the main pack."

"Do you have many sister packs?"

I knew all the major packs had lower packs who joined under their name for protection. Wolves liked to fight. Humans could pretend wolfen society was exactly like theirs when wolves lived among them in their cities, but out in the wilder areas?

Wolves were still packs full of predators in search of prey.

"Not as many as either Full Moon or Moonrise. We tend to prefer our privacy. I can name four sisters we actively engage with, but beyond that? They're just neighbors."

Given how every head seemed to turn to follow the progress of our car through the territory, I thought it was likely they had very few 'neighbors.'

We drove along the gravel road -more of a path for vehicles which wound through the settlement- for quite a while before reaching a row of cabins so close to the forest they were almost in it.

I hadn't known what to expect, but it was surprising to see the cabins all looked very different. Some were small enough to obviously be one room while others stretched out rooms like wings. Carson directed us to park in front of a cabin which reminded me of a bowtie---a skinny center part with two wide portions on either side.

"You will be sharing this cabin with your escort, Rachel. It's set up as a modesty building. You'll share the sitting area though you both have your own sleeping area with privacy locks on the doors."

Carson offered to help with our bags; Art took his while I accepted the assistance gratefully. The men moved with caution as if they were still testing one another for an upcoming fight. I tried not to let their attitudes affect mine.

"Do we share the bath too?" I asked, trying to make conversation.

Carson froze, looking quickly from my face to Nathan's before saying, "Bath houses are separate from resident houses. We don't waste much here. Water isn't unlimited and it only makes sense to protect our members with separate baths."

I wondered what he meant. How could communal bathing protect anyone from anything? Moonglow Pack wasn't traditional as much as they were medieval. It was hard to believe any pack lived the way they did.

Moonglow Pack might as well be stuck in the Dark Ages.

Nathan held the door for me and Carson. The shared living area had oil lamps and a large window which provided ample natural light. I shrugged when asked which room I wanted for my own so Carson took my bags to the room on the left while Nathan took his own to the room on the right.

I stood in the center room trying to rationalize how I had come to be trapped in the past and found myself rubbing the small bump of my baby.

My daughter was going to be just fine. I knew I had nothing to worry about with Art and Nathan both with me. I still couldn't shake the feeling something about this place was wrong.

Why were they really living this way? Who really wanted to live without electricity or modern conveniences in today's world?

"I've got your bags in the room. Would you like me to leave you to settle in or do you prefer to go see the Alpha now?"

My skin felt too tight and my belly hardened into a knot beneath my palm. It was as if my body was trying to protect my daughter any way it could. I wasn't sure I was ready to see Alpha Campbell or if I would ever be ready to see him.

"We're ready. Lead on, Beta," Art snapped from the door to our cabin.

He must have thrown his bags into his own space only to immediately race back over to our space.

"Will you be alright to walk?" Carson asked, looking at my hand on my abdomen with drawn brows.

"Yes. I can walk. We can't take the car?"

"No vehicles are allowed to approach the Alpha House except the Alpha's own. He has never recovered from the loss of his luna. His daughter doesn't respond well to the sound of them. She's a little delicate, our Lindy."

Lindy? I cast a puzzled eye at Nathan who shrugged a single shoulder in response. He must not have met the girl either.

"She's Alpha Campbell's heir. Linda. Lindy is what she's called. It's cute."

I had forgotten Alpha Campbell claimed my mother had died in a car accident. No wonder there were so few automobiles. He probably didn't want to allow any of them in his territory. The ones I'd seen were likely the result of necessity rather than desire or even convenience.

"I am so, so sorry," I tried, "I wasn't thinking. Walking will be fine. Absolutely fine with me and us. All of us."

Art rolled his eyes as he took my elbow to steer me through the door, "He gets it. You're sorry. You forgot your mother presumably died in a car crash."

I wondered sometimes if Art could read minds. He echoed my thoughts so completely I was barely able to keep my mouth shut. I knew he could move things with his mind, but reading other minds? Art wouldn't be doing all this for an investigation if he could do that.

Feeling silly as well as shaky, I kept pace with Art by taking two steps to each of his long strides. He walked with the kind of confidence which came from always being the apex predator in the room. I wondered if he had any idea how hard it was to keep up while in heels.

"Do you have an appointment we don't know about? Why are we racing?"

Nathan grumbled while eyeing my face. He could tell I was feeling rushed. His complaints were for me, not himself, and I felt grateful all over again I'd insisted on bringing him.

I didn't trust Moonglow Pack, but I did trust Nathan and Art.

"There's no need to rush. Alpha Campbell has the day cleared for your arrival. Keep to the paths and you'll find your way everywhere. We have most of our functions in public buildings so there's nowhere off-limits to you except other resident homes. Please don't enter another private home without permission."

I didn't need the rule on trespassing outlined for me. I appreciated his concern for his pack, but what kind of people did he think the Alpha Council had sent?

The Alpha House became larger and larger and larger until it loomed over us while we stood staring at the door. Windows reflected sunlight toward us while a low hum took over my thoughts. The sound was foreign to me until I realized it was from generators on the side of the place.

"The Alpha has to have electric power for business reasons. We have generators at the Pack House, too. They're used for pack events. Come on in. I'll take you to the Alpha."

Beta Carson opened the door with the confidence of a man coming home, but, as I stared into the dark entrance, I wondered if I weren't being welcomed to Hell.